UCLA Law Trained Attorneys in Encino
That is not a cold way to put it. It is the entire point of California's wrongful death statute, CCP Section 377.60. When a person dies because someone else was negligent, the surviving spouse, partner, children, or dependents have the legal right to demand full compensation for what was taken from them. Not just the funeral. Not just the medical bills from before they died. The lost income, the lost guidance, the lost relationship.
Arya has handled wrongful death claims in Encino where the at-fault party had significant insurance coverage and still tried to minimize the payout. These are not cases where the other side writes a big check out of sympathy. They fight, and you need someone fighting harder. All Encino cases file at Van Nuys Courthouse West.
Knows Encino: Ventura Blvd, the 101/405, the Van Nuys Courthouse
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduated from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, and attended UCLA Law School. I know Encino well. I've spent many hours on Ventura Blvd, many breakfasts at Coral Tree Cafe, and many dinners at what is probably the best Italian spot hidden on the second floor of a strip mall near the Land Rover dealership, Gio Cucina. I know the Ventura Boulevard corridor, the Balboa area, and how insurance companies respond to claims in this part of LA.
The Facts Behind Your Injury Claim
Which roads generate the most crashes, where the ambulance takes you, what the law requires, and how long you have to act. This is what we know about Encino cases before we even look at yours.
California law allows surviving spouses, children, and — in some cases — other dependents to file a civil wrongful death claim for the negligent, reckless, or intentional killing of a family member. This is a separate claim from any criminal prosecution.
A survival action (CCP §377.30) allows the estate to recover damages the deceased could have claimed if they had survived — including pain and suffering experienced before death. Both claims can run simultaneously and are often pursued together.
What Makes Your Injury Case Different
The 101/405 interchange is one of the most congested and dangerous freeway junctions in the country. Multi-vehicle crashes here almost always involve more than one at-fault party and more than one insurance policy. If you only pursue the driver who hit you, you are probably leaving money on the table. Finding every policy takes legwork, and it needs to start immediately.
Ventura Boulevard through Encino has medical offices, restaurants, and retail packed into a dense commercial strip. Pedestrian accidents, parking lot fender-benders that turn into real injury claims, and premises incidents at commercial properties are all part of the caseload here.
If you were bitten by a dog at Balboa Park, California law is clear: the owner is liable, full stop. Civil Code 3342 is a strict liability statute. The fight is not about whether the owner pays. It is about making sure the insurance company covers the full cost: the ER, the plastic surgeon, the time off work, the scar.
Defendants in Encino are more likely to carry umbrella policies well above their primary limits. We know that going in, and it changes how we build the demand. Cases file at Van Nuys Courthouse.
The Collision Patterns We See Here
The 101/405 interchange generates a disproportionate share of the serious cases we handle from Encino. High-speed merging, sudden stops, and aggressive lane changes produce multi-car pileups where figuring out who hit whom requires the CHP report, dashcam footage, and sometimes an accident reconstructionist.
Ventura Boulevard is the pedestrian and premises corridor. Balboa Boulevard gets the park-adjacent cyclist and dog bite cases. Sepulveda and Hayvenhurst carry the residential and school zone traffic that produces lower-speed but still serious injuries, especially during morning drop-off.
A recent Encino case involved three vehicles on the 405 where each driver's insurance company blamed the other two. Another was a pedestrian struck in a crosswalk on Ventura by a driver making a right on red. A third was a dog attack at Balboa Park where the owner's homeowner policy initially denied the claim. Each required a completely different approach.
Crash Data
Most Dangerous Intersections
Recent Crashes
View all crash reports in Encino →Compensation Available in Your Case
Insurance companies treat wrongful death claims as business transactions. California law treats them as something much bigger. Here is what your family is entitled to recover.
Funeral & Burial Expenses
All funeral, burial, and cremation expenses that resulted from the wrongful death of your family member.
Lost Financial Support
Your loved one's projected lifetime earnings and the financial support your family has permanently lost. Encino households often carry significant mortgages, and this loss hits hard.
Loss of Household Services
The daily work your loved one did at home, from childcare to meal preparation to household management. These services carry measurable economic value.
Loss of Companionship
Love, emotional support, guidance, and the shared life you can no longer have. California law treats this as a real, compensable harm.
Pre-Death Pain & Suffering
A survival action covers the suffering your loved one experienced before death. In crashes near the 405/101 interchange, victims often survive long enough for these damages to be substantial.
Punitive Damages
Available when the wrongdoer acted with malice, fraud, or conscious disregard for safety. DUI fatalities commonly support punitive damage claims.
Call us Today. No fee until you win!
818-224-7940Steps for Wrongful Death Families
Wrongful death claims involve both legal process and profound personal grief. We guide families through both with discretion and determination.
Prioritize your family's wellbeing
Take the time you need. Legal filings have deadlines, but none of them require you to act in the immediate aftermath.
Preserve all documentation
Hold on to the death certificate, police reports, Encino Hospital or other medical records, and any communications from insurers or the other party.
Do not accept any payment or release
Insurance companies approach grieving families quickly with offers designed to close the case cheaply. Speak with an attorney first.
Document financial dependence
Gather tax returns, bank records, pay stubs, and documentation of how your loved one contributed financially to your household.
Contact Westwood Law
Arya Firoozmand handles wrongful death claims for Encino families through Van Nuys Courthouse. Preserving evidence early protects your case.